The program is the first of its kind in Oregon, following in the footsteps of St. Helena High School in Napa Valley and Sonoma’s Windsor High School.

Launched in September, the program lets students learn all aspects of viticulture management—planting, pruning, maintaining, and marketing the grapes to wineries—while earning community college credit along the way.

The students won't actually make wine. (That will, eventually, fall to the wineries who buy the grapes.) But they will tend to a small test vineyard that has been planted beside the school, where Wright hopes to plant an acre of pinot noir in the spring (provided he can raise $20,000, which he's already on the way toward accomplishing).

Of course, we're happy to volunteer our time to such educational efforts. So should any wineries who end up with the students' grapes need volunteer tasters, well, we're always happy to help.